1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus, a substrate cleaning method, and a storage medium, for cleaning at least an end surface of a substrate.
2. Description of Related Art
In a manufacture of a semiconductor device and a manufacture of a flat panel display (FPD), there is performed a cleaning process for removing, from an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate, particles and contaminations adhering thereto. As an apparatus for performing such a cleaning process, there is known a cleaning apparatus of a single-wafer type, which holds a substrate on a spin chuck, and supplies a cleaning liquid to a surface of the wafer while rotating the substrate, so as to clean the surface of the wafer.
In a cleaning process performed by such a cleaning apparatus, there is a possibility that an acid chemical liquid and/or an alkaline chemical liquid, which has been used as a cleaning liquid and remains on a peripheral portion of the substrate in the course of the cleaning process, might be dried to become deposits, and/or a matter removed by the cleaning might again adhere to the peripheral portion of the substrate. In former times, since the peripheral portion of the substrate is not used as a product, no special countermeasure is taken against the deposits on the peripheral portion of the substrate. However, in accordance with a further miniaturization of a device, an adverse effect of deposits becomes actual. For example, deposits on the peripheral portion of the substrate may adhere to a substrate support arm or the like of a substrate transfer mechanism. In order to prevent the adverse effect, there has been proposed a technique for removing deposits on a peripheral portion of a substrate by bringing a sponge-like brush into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
However, since some of deposits firmly adhere to the peripheral portion of the substrate, in particular, to an end surface of the substrate, there is a possibility that these deposits may not be removed only by bringing the sponge-like brush into contact with the substrate.
[Patent Document 1] JP5-79939U
[Patent Document 2] JP2007-165794A